Description
THE SHAMAN DRUM
The shaman drums in our shop are handmade.
Making a shaman drum takes approximately 20 hours of loving and hard work, spread over three to six weeks to allow sufficient time for the entire process. Each shaman drum is unique, one-of-a-kind, both in sound and appearance.
Drumheads are made of rawhide.
Because rawhide reacts to heat and humidity, the tension of the head can change, affecting the pitch and sound. If there's a lot of moisture in the air, the sound can temporarily disappear from your drum. In freezing temperatures, your drumhead can be incredibly tight. If you choose a fixed head, you'll have to work with the elements. If you choose a tensionable drumhead, it's much easier to control the sound of your drum.
Single-sided shaman drums:
These shamanic hand drums are easy to handle; you carry them in your hand using the handle at the back. A hand drum is very pleasant to use during (trance) dance and meditations. Traditional, fixed shaman drum: With these hand drums, the head is stretched directly using strips of skin. Therefore, the tension of the head can only be changed by carefully heating it, for example with a hairdryer, or by moistening it with a damp cloth or your own saliva.
Tensionable shaman drum: The adjustable hand drum is particularly suitable for thinner skins. The tension of the head can be easily adjusted to changing weather conditions using sliders. As such, these hand drums are ideal in our climate. The head is clamped between two iron rings, which are tensioned with (synthetic) rope. Very suitable for thicker skins. The iron does, of course, make the drum heavier. This shaman drum has a skin on both sides that has a different pitch, allowing you to connect with the upper world on the one hand and the underworld on the other. Because an enclosed space is created, the resonance increases, causing shaman drums to produce a characteristic, powerful, and full sound. Highly suitable for group use.
Here too, you can choose between a traditionally tensioned drum and a tensioned drum. A very large shaman drum, the pow wow, is also an option.
If you're longing for a shaman drum, consider what resonates with you: Perhaps you have a special connection to a specific tree or animal that you'd like to incorporate into your drum? Do you enjoy working with the elements to keep your drum in tune? Do you use your drum outdoors or indoors? What will you use it for? What shape and size feels right for you? And what kind of sound do you hear? What else seems important to you?
Good to know...is that the sound box, or frame, is usually made of a solid plank bent into an oval or round shape. Beech, oak, ash, maple, and elm are the woods I prefer to work with. For the tensioned, double-sided drums, birch plywood or a hollow tree trunk is used. An animal hide is used as the drumhead. Goat, horse, and deer are almost always available. A different skin is used if possible.
The sound is also determined by the thickness of the skin, the type of skin chosen, the type of wood used, the size of the drum, and whether there is any hair on the skin. For example, a thick skin will produce a more solid, massive sound, while a thin skin will produce a refined, longer-lasting, and melodious tone. A larger drum offers a wider variety of sounds, simply because the playing field is larger. A hairy drum sounds deeper, but also less clear. Drum sizes generally vary in diameter.
